The Dove Hunt Thread
 

Dove here in the Mid-Atlantic look pretty abundant. I am thinking of trying some BP loads this year. Having a hard time determining which sxs to take this year....maybe I'll take two.

Anyone else going on opening day?

I am going on the first invitation I get. Big question is which gun to take:rolleyes:

I'll be there with you Kev. I like a challenge , so I'll be shooting a 28 and a 20 Parkers of course. I'd love to see some smoke.

If one of my crowd find a place for us to go I'm planning on going !

And if so I'm going to take a Parker VHE 20 gauge 28" M&F as well as a Fox Sterlingworth 20 gauge 26" IC/M .

But then I might trade the Sterlingworth for my old 12 gauge VH #2 30" F&F gun . I've been shooting that thing very well since I changed the pad on the back (and the pitch, it had a caved in Jostam pad).

Came home today and doves on the power line diving into the sunflowers. Checked heads of sunflowers and half of the seeds are gone. Bush-hogged one row to let them get into the bare grown. Will do more later.

Will be on a walker by then due to surgery but plan to get out there somehow. I finished my 1878 10 gauge 2 frame lifter late Saturday night and thanks to David H. who sold me a set of 12 gauge IC/IC barrels and forend that fit perfectly, that is what I plan to use. Shot some one ounce # 8 loads Sunday at thirty steps and no dove could ever get through it.

Would like to see a pic of thar 2 frame. I have the same in 10. I like the idea of a 12 ga barrel option.

My opening day dove hunt may be out of the question now ! I'm scheduled to get eight teeth pulled from the bottom and two I suppose you'd call them bone growths on the upper removed as well . My dentist in Chester VA is supposed to do it Tuesday and he tells me do not expect to be shooting much for a couple weeks 😟

He's an alarmist.





.

That dentist is a spoil sport. He may be secretly in league with PETA.

Shoot from the hip! Annie Oakley did it.

I think I would eat applesauce and milkshakes until after hunting season before I would let the dentist mess up Dove season!!! You sure he's not some kind of anti gun nut!!!

Our season down here starts Sept 18. As to opening day plans....off to El Campo Texas for opening afternoon, to ambush whitewing doves, then to our place down here Saturday and Sunday for mourning doves. But the best news is I am opening the season extra early in Cordoba Argentina next week.

We open here in Tn on the 1st of Sept.I am starting a new gun this year.It is a 16ga DHE with 30" barrels choked mod/full.It has a factory vent rib,single trigger,and a Beavertail forend.I have shot it OK on clays,but can't wait to try it on the doves.We are holding a lot of birds in the area now,but that can change quickly.I hope you all have a great season.

No my dentist is actually a friend !

It's more my fault then his . When I got back stateside the end of April I should have gone on and had the work done but I drug my feet !

Missed the chance to take a good photo outside so used the old cell phone. I am continually attracted to junk just like a kid bringing home stray dogs. The gun was advertised as a 12 GA but turned out to be a 10 on a number 2 frame. Gun was tight, but most people probably would not shoot these barrels, but I have multiple times. Advertised here for some 12 GA barrels and the set I got fit right on there perfectly with the matching forend. I found a small crack in the wrist so had that repaired, the oil soaked out of the head of the stock, the checkering recut, and I rust blued the buttplate, trigger guard, triggers, lifter button, and screws. Lots of rust removed with a Dremel tool and Frontier pad. Oiled the stock every day for over a month, but left many of the warts in the wood. Will never finish either set of barrels; it is just a field gun. 10 GA I.M. and I.M. 30" and 12 GA I.C. and I.C. Lots of my time in it but that's the fun of finding and fixing junk and making it presentable. 8 lbs. 2 oz. in 12 and 8 lbs. 7 oz. in 10. 1878.

Just about all the pics I take for posting on a forum or Gunbroker are now taken with my I Phone 6 . Thing takes as good or better pics then my Nikon Cool Pix Digi Cam .

I have an invitation to hunt doves on the North Shore area in Maryland and will shoot the first two days of the season. First time on a real dove hunt for over forty years since my college days in Chester Co. Penna. No dove hunting in Vermont. I'm syched but can't settle on which of all my favorite guns to take. Most definite is the16 Trojan with 1oz. or 7/8oz as it always delivers from goose to pigeons. Then for backup still undecided on a 12 ga repro, webley Scott 16, midland 30" 16, Ithaca 4E single shot no safety............ Not really a "problem" but with 2 days I'd like to mix it up. Off to the SC course today and think about shooting basics and get a feel for which gun goes to the dance.

Eric;
Where will you be shooting doves? I'll be on the eastern shore. Maryland has some good dove shooting and the birds look plentiful. Good luck and take some pics.

I can't believe you're not going to break out that beautiful 410 on opening day. Best of luck John.
Buddy

You guys have a great opening day, here in Michigan we can only look at the doves as they fly south to you guys:cuss: I've never been dove hunting but it is one of the things that I would love to do, sometime. You guys enjoy......

That is a nice gun Jerry. I also have a weakness for strays. Some of my strays turn out to be great shooters

Double lab,
We will be in the Greensboro area but not yet exactly sure. Going with someone who has hunted there for a number of years.
I will take pix.

Here in Oklahoma our season starts Sept 1, will be going out opening day with 2 guns. My 16 ga VH and one of my older Lefever, an 1897 G grade 12 ga with Damascus barrels. Have ordered 2 1/2 inch shells for both, lots of dove around here.

Shot with a nice party of guys in the Goldsboro area. Didn't limit out myself but others in the party had a bit more shooting. Started with a modern 20 gauge but switched to the 16 gauge Parker. Got a chance to tune up at pintail point and was then blessed with a bushel of crabs and a cold case of yuengling. Given I was raised nearby in Pa. I endulged my nostalgia in the beautiful country, the doves, and the food. A great few days.

Well I didn't get a dove invite for saturday , but I did get one at whats usually a good place for monday . Think it'll be a 20 gauge only day . VHE 20 gauge 28" M&F and a Philly Sterlingworth 20 gauge 26" IC/M .

Jut in case I can't hit my a..s..s with both hands I'll throw a 20 gauge Superposed 28" IC/M in the car as well !

I had thought my toothy issues were gonna hold me up , but shooting Jap Trap with a VH 12 last evening proved that to be unfounded :rotf:


***** Got an invite for dove tomorrow at about 4PM this afternoon **********

Gonna do the goosey thing at 6AM tomorrow also , loaded up 20 rounds of #1 Bismuth as we have a ten bird limit !

Late in posting but here is a picture of my two sons with the opening day, Eastern Shore dove. Double Lab and a few other members of our club had a fantastic day.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/n...psruxusk7u.jpg

TV doves
 

We had a shoot here in the Shenandoah Valley, VA. today and the film crew
and star of Meat Eater on the outdoor channel was shooting and filming.
It will be pretty neat to see how they edit it. There were a good number of
doves over 12 acres of sunflowers.

No Doves on Kodiak, so had to settle for catching Silvers --

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...psqpzxfzqq.jpg

Old Researchers first ever time riding an ATV. About twelve miles to where these were caught.

Two hunts this weekend. 12 for the first and 9 for the second. I still observe the 12 bird limit. Shot my Superposed

Hunting doves this past week-end, I had something happen that I think is worth noting. On Saturday, the doves were fast and plentiful. On one shot, two birds flew directly toward me then veered off to the right; I shot at the lead bird, once, twice, and it sailed on with no apparent effect. As I watched, the dove flew across the field and then dropped stone dead a hundred yards further on. Now, here's the kicker . . . yesterday (Monday), it was late in the day and I decided to take on more shot and call it a day. Again, two birds flew toward me, I shot at the first, and it continued to fly. Oh well. As I walked back to the car, I passed another hunter and he said, "I've got your bird." "What?" "Yeah, it dropped through the trees and my Lab picked it up." He gave me the dove and I, of course, thanked him profusely. So my point it simply this: Keep your eye on the bird . . . before, during, and after the shot.

By the way, my armament was a VH 16 (28" barrels bored cyl/full) on Saturday and a Trojan 12 (28" barrels bored imp/mod) on Monday. What works for me is 3-1-7 1/2 in twelve gauge. For some reason, the 7 1/2 shot will anchor a dove better than the 8's.

I've been a big advocate of #9 for dove and or quail . But in recent years I've been an advocate of whatever size shot I have on hand #9 , 8 1/2 , 8 or 7 1/2 . Some folks around here use #6 for the late December dove season , personally I never saw the need but it's whatever a person likes I suppose .

I pretty much now just buy #8 shot in the bag although if I can find a deal on 9 or 8 1/2 I'll grab a few bags of that as well .

Mills - Looks like the stock is loose on the gun

It is a little loose.

Great advice. You would be surprised when goose hunting how many birds fall hundreds of yards away as dead as a stone. Few people watch them until they are out of sight, instead they focus on the "dead" ones nearby which is the natural instinct since they can run like turkeys.

http://i609.photobucket.com/albums/t...psxtgzo7pz.jpg

Best time of the year. My great uncles 16ga and a day in the field with my father. We also upheld the 12 bird limit.

glad you fellas had a fine hunt..theres nothing better than first day dove hunt..i missed opening day was on the road some where...first time i ve missed opening day in more years than i can remember...hope to go soon....charlie

Went back Labor Day to the same place as opening day and instead of a fairly quick limit it took six hours plus. Most birds had left. Used the 1919 GH 30" Damascus I resurrected from the grave. Shot one ounce 8.5s in the right and 7.5s in the left.

A dove split the field out of everyone's range and I had a chance to follow it for several seconds and judge my lead, probably a couple of feet, every hunter was amazed at what the Parker did as the bird fell dead as a stone. Stepped off to sixty long steps where he fell. And since he was way up there, I was accused of shooting a rifle at him. I told them that's what an extra full (.040) Parker will do. Don't usually take shots like that, but got caught up in the moment.

Old GH Parkers are great as are triple x full chokes

Enjoyed the shoot I was invited to Saturday. A year ago I shot a side by side, but had not gotten into Parkers. Killing my 15 with a 113 year old DH was fun. My Boykin did not consider breaking, picked up my birds and was outstanding. Great day made better by use of a great gun, a great dog. Enjoyed going over afternoon shoot, that night with a couple of good bourbon and waters. Dan